DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has named its Dick Howser Trophy Players of the Month for March, presented by The Game Headwear, both LSU standouts that include Paul Skenes winning pitcher of the month for the second straight month and slugger Dylan Crews tabbed player of the month.
Skenes, a 6-foot-6, 247-pound junior out of Lake Forest, Calif., has been dominant in his first two months for the top-ranked Tigers. He went 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA over the month of March, working in five starts. He tossed 32.1 innings, allowing only 14 hits and three runs, walking five and striking out a staggering 60.
A transfer from Air Force, Skenes is 5-0 with a 0.81 ERA through his first seven starts of the year. He has worked 44.1 innings, allowing only 19 hits and four runs, walking eight and striking out 83. He was named NCBWA Pitcher of the Month in February, when he worked a pair of impressive starts, allowing just one run in 12 innings with 23 strikeouts. A two-time All-America selection at Air Force, Skenes won the 2022 John Olerud Award as the best two-way player in the nation. He went for a 2.96 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings last year, while hitting .314 with 13 homers and 38 RBI. The nation’s 2021 Co-Freshman of the Year, Skenes had 11 saves and hit .410 in his collegiate debut.
Crews, a junior out of Longwood, Fla., hit .524 (33-for-63) with 35 runs scored, seven doubles, eight homers and 23 RBI over the 19-game stretch in March. He drew 21 walks, was hit by two pitches and struck out just eight times, owning a 1.016 slugging and .651 on-base percentage, adding a pair of steals. On the year, Crews has hit .543 (51-for-94) with 11 doubles, nine homers and 35 RBI, owning 29 walks and just 13 strikeouts, with a .947 slugging and a .664 on-base percentage. Nationally, Crews leads the nation with his .543 average, 77 points higher than the next closest player.
The two stars led the top-ranked Tigers to a 17-2 record during March, with preseason No. 1 LSU sitting atop the NCBWA poll for seven consecutive weeks. This is the first time in the history of the NCBWA monthly awards that players from the same program earned the award in the same month.
This marks the eighth consecutive year that the NCBWA has honored a player and pitcher of the month. Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, ncbwa.com.